150 Biological Conservation

A proper policy of soil conservation is therefore needed, which implies an appropriate administrative structure that is necessarily centralized and properly coordinated at the regional level. Appropriate legisla- tion is also required to allow the planned apportion- ment of land for different uses in regional and national development, to control techniques of land-use which might cause deterioration or pollution of the environ- ment, to protect the soil against the inroads of natural and human hazards, and to restore it where necessary.

States which accept the principles set out above should undertake to devote the necessary funds to their implementation and promote a genuine soil conservation policy.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE, Maison de l'Europe, 67 Strasbourg, France

THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND 1N FINLAND

The WWF's 18th National Appeal was launched in Finland on 16 October 1972 by the Fund's President, HRH The Prince of The Netherlands.

The President of Finland, Dr Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, agreed to become Honorary President of the Finnish National Appeal. He declared: 'The establishment of the Finnish Fund of the World Wildlife Fund has both international and national dimensions. Joining the chain of national funds of the WWF means, on our part, a new step towards active participation in the global responsibility of mankind-- responsibility for saving the wildlife threatened every- where in the world. It means, too, that our own pro- tection targets come within the sphere of the World Wildlife Fund's control and care. I have gladly accepted the honorary chairmanship of the Finnish Fund now established . . . . I believe that we Finns, for whom contact with Nature has always been a source of strength, health, and safety, in times of both peace and crisis, wish to participate also economically in preserving the most threatened elements of Nature, and in the care of the health of our environment.'

The Prince of The Netherlands recalled that it was only in 1970 that the World Wildlife Fund managed to get a foothold in Fennoscandinavia, with the establishment of a national appeal in Norway. Sweden and Denmark followed, and now Finland made the 'northern family' complete.

Dr Luc Hoffmann, Executive Vice-President of the World Wildlife Fund, told the gathering: 'We are raising money to sow it in the fields of our project operations, where we hope that it will produce a crop

worth many times the cost of the seeds, and we use the success of this "agriculture" to encourage as many others as possible to do the same.'

The Chairman of the Finnish National Appeal is Mr Hannu Tarmio, Managing Director of the pub- lishing house, WSOY, and the Secretary General is Mr Kalevi K. Malmstr6m, a leading conservationist, journalist, and public relations expert.

A resolution issued by the Board of the new Fund said: 'The future of mankind on earth is inseparably linked with the future of Nature, and the future of both depends on stopping waste and conserving natural resources, planning and stabilizing human population, preventing pollution, and preserving life's varied forms . . . . Animals and plants have evolved over millions of years; Man is incapable of re- creating even one species he has destroyed. It is our duty to prevent irreparable damage, and this duty extends to the area of the third world--to the develop- ing countries, which seldom have the resources to finance this type of activity. The duty of the world's affluent countries, of which Finland is one, is to help in this work, and it can best be done via the World Wildlife Fund.'

Founded in 1961, the World Wildlife Fund now has National Appeals functioning in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America. By October 1972 the Fund had channelled $9,205,929 to 754 conserva- tion projects all over the world.

PETER F. R. JACKSON, Director of Information, World Wildlife Fund, 1110 Morges, Switzerland

SAVING THE WILD FLOWERS OF ISRAEL

The flora of Israel has about 2,500 species of higher plants, among them a few hundreds of so-called 'flowers'--that is, plants of which the flowers are commonly picked. Of those there are some in real danger of drastic decrease, and some are on the verge of extinction. This is especially true of bulb and other geophytes of the families Iridaceae, Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Orchidaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Primulaceae.

The founders of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, twenty years ago, were conscious of this fact; but their only means of action were explain- ing or preaching--more often than not to deaf ears.